Movie Memories - "Melody"

Our old friend John Lee in the UK writes ...

"Hi......All

Let's see if anyone of you remember this one:

back in 1971/72, (we were either in primary 6 or form 1) we were taken to see a film called MELODY, featuring Mark Lester and Tracey Hyde with songs from the Bee Gees (First of May, Melody Fair).

see - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkEG5zOLw3A

[ try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r3CcgcXkig
if the above doesn't work - website jaga ]

Remember????

Haha

John"

Yeah, John .... I'm sure most of us have sweet memories of that tucked away somewhere in our subconscious. Indeed, I recall that Mark Lester / Jack Wild / Tracy Hyde movie launched quite a craze among the pubescent boys and girls of the 70's. But for the audience of this blog, I guess the focus is squarely on the cute Tracy Hyde. Mark and Jack who?

For the benefit of those whose memories have gone foggy, "Melody" (or the alternative title "S.W.A.L.K." that it was also released as) was the 1971 movie about two youngsters who declare to their parents that they want to get married. Not sometime in the future but as soon as possible. The story is told from the children's point of view.

A bit of trivia - like us, Tracy Hyde was also born in 1959! (16 May 1959 to be exact - for those of you who want to send a card to this childhood idol of yours, now .. in the words of Sinos .. probably a nenek!)

Still, just to fuel those old hormones, here's a picture of Tracy back in 1971 ...

Caution: If you want to keep your childhood memories of Tracy Hyde intact, do NOT read any further !!! :-)

Tracy Hyde never made it much bigger as an actress after "Melody". A couple of other films and TV shows which didn't have too much impact. She had however quite a fan base in Japan, and according to Wikipedia, in 1994, a Japanese TV station sought out Tracy and sent one of their reporters to go to UK to find her. Mark Lester was contacted and when it was found that Tracy had moved to France, Mark and the reporter both went over there to look for her. She had moved there with her husband and her three sons. In 1999, Mark and Tracy were reunited again in another Japanese TV special. Tracy has since re-married and has returned home to London where she now manages the family business, a kennel boarding service.

(Normally I would quip that Tracy Hyde has gone to the dogs, but that would be unkind :-)

RANDOM PHOTO ALBUM - PART #3

A few more familiar scenes in Kuching ... I don't think any captions are necessary, do you?

Enjoy ...

Old Pals Meet Up in Kuala Lumpur

Here's a snapshot of two old friends, from Form 5 Science, meeting up in KL recently.

Ho Boon Chiang and Philip Chin are both based in Kuala Lumpur, as are a few other Fifth Formers from 1976. BTW, if you want to contact these chaps, you can find their email id's in the other posting called "Who were in Form 5 Science?".

Both seem to be sporting similar hairstyles these days ... Guys, I don't think we want to know who your barber is, but can you tell us where the best eating and drinking places are in KL?

RANDOM PHOTO ALBUM - PART #2

I've got some new photos of our beloved hometown, so have put up this interesting selection that may be specially nostalgic for those based away from Kuching ...

Fig 1: India Street scene

Fig 2: Walking towards Carpenter Street

Fig 3: The old Post Office Building

Fig 4: Electra House

Fig 5 : A View of "Corner Shop"

Anyway, enjoy & don't forget to share your comments.

Oxpicious Niu Year Greetings & other festive puns

It's about five minutes to midnight, and the first day of the Lunar New Year, so here's wishing a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous Year of the Golden Ox to all St Joe Fifth Formers of 1976 and their wives, girlfriends, mistresses and other loved ones ...

Also your chance to send your greetings to your friends in the comments.

RANDOM PHOTO ALBUM

Someone sent me a few photos of St Joe, which I didn't know where to put ... so I'm creating this RANDOM PHOTO ALBUM for any photos you guys may have. Just send them to me at jslyong@hotmail.com and I'll include them - even if they are only loosely related to the theme of our blog AND if they are not pornographic (in which case I keep for my own collection :-)

Anyway to kick things off, here are a couple of random shots that may bring back good memories ... or NOT !

Over to you guys ...

Who's Doing What & Where?

A few of our friends have been asking who's where and doing what these days ... I've listed below the few that I do know of ...

George Lo (lawyer, Kuching)
James Kuo (heart surgeon, UK)
Bartholomew Sinos (aviation industry exec, Cambodia)
Chong Chi Nai (ADB senior exec, Philippines)
John Lee (local govt, UK)
Philip Chin (business, KL)
Ho Boon Chiang (business, KL)
Curtis Teo (Los Angeles, USA)
James Yong (consultant & writer, Singapore)

Obviously more information needed. Others please share what you've been up to ...

News from Cambodia

I was delighted to receive a note from a fellow Fifth Former, Bartholomew Sinos, who is now working in the aviation industry and based in Cambodia. He wrote (copying a few other of our fellow formmates) ...


Dear James & the all the Old Boys of SJS,

Many thanks for your pleasant surprise e-mail.

Yes, I think I can still vividly remember you James but since it has been a long time, then again we can't remember very well. I think you were in the science class, right?

Anyway, it is good to be able to keep with one another in touch again, thank to IT.

I saw John Lee's article for the coming CNY in England. Well done, John. Yes, we had one class of 76 reunion in 2006 in Kuching. Thanks to Ben, Mark, Ah Loot & the other ex-classmates for this happy event. We are looking forward to have one soon, Ben?

I am in Siem Reap, Cambodia since 1994. Perhaps, we could have a some sort or reunion in the fabulous Angkor Wat, soon? Give it a thought and I will handle it here. Mark, Ben or Edward could help to connect with our ex-classmates round the world.

To all my Chinese ex-classmates, school mates & friends, here is a "Gong Xi Fa Cai" to you & family, wherever you maybe. OK, James you may include my e-mail on the website but please use my personal e-mail address: sinos0505@yahoo.com

Thanks once again, do keep in touch, God bless you & family and take care.

Regards,

Sinos Bartholomew

Commercial Manager - Commercial Department
Société Concessionnaire des Aéroports (SCA)


I don't know what you guys feel but a reunion at the Angkor Wat sounds fabulous to me :-) We can think about it and discuss on the website.

In the News: Chinese get ready for the Year of the Ox

Here's a piece by Katie Campling in the "Huddersfield Daily Examiner" newspaper on Jan 14, 2009, which features our old friend John Lee, now living in the UK ...

An extravaganza of traditional celebrations will see in the Chinese New Year later this month.

Huddersfield Chinese Community Centre has organised a day of entertainment to celebrate the dawn of the Year of the Ox.

The event will be on Saturday January 24 at the National Children’s Centre at New North Parade – although Chinese New Year does not officially start until January 26.

The day of fun will start with a traditional Chinese lion dance at 11.30am, followed by demonstrations of martial art tai chi and a children’s music and dance performance.

A more energetic martial arts display of Taekwondo will take place after lunch, followed by a Chinese music performance and magic show.

There will also be a variety of stalls offering arts and crafts, food, jewellery, herbs and medicines and calligraphy.

It costs £1 for adults to visit the event and entry is free for under 12s.

Last year’s event at the start of the Year of the Rat attracted 600 people and the Association is hoping for a big attendance this year.

The Chinese New Year event is one of the highlight of the calendar for the Chinese Community Association, which is based at Cambridge Road.

John Lee, the new chairman of the Association’s board of trustees, said events like this helped attract people of all cultures to the association.

He said: “There will be something for everyone. People don’t have to be Chinese. The group is for anyone interested in the culture and history or in learning language such as Mandarin.

“It’s a chance to meet people and gain skills or join in activities. For instance, older people like to come and meet to play mah jong.”

Mr Lee is keen to promote the different activities the Association offers.

They include translation services, Mandarin language classes, tai chi classes, English classes and Chinese catering services for people in their homes.

Mr Lee said: “There are quite a number of Chinese origin people who don’t know we exist or what we offer.

“Chinese people tend to be quite spread around, we don’t all live the same community. So it’s good to have the group as a focal point.

“We do offer a wide range of things for all kinds of people.”

Way to go, John !

The original website can be found at http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2009/01/14/chinese-get-ready-for-the-year-of-the-ox-86081-22685416/

Music of 1976

Shakespeare once wrote, "If music be the food of life, play on". For many of us, teenagers in 1976, music was an important part of our lives - consciously and unconsciously. What song or piece of music, when you hear it today, still reminds you of the year 1976 ?

The St Joseph's School Rally

In case you've forgotten the words ...


Sons of St Joseph’s
a voice is resounding,
Promptly respond to your duty's sweet call,
Answer you all for the trumpet is sounding,
Your mater's proclaiming her watchword to all

Chorus
Forward her children dear,
Ever with hearts sincere,
Render with joy to your mater her due,A
ll that is vile reject,
Heaven will e'er protect,
Sons of St Joseph's, valiant and true!

Prayer and Labour
your motto still bearing,
Forward with courage in ways that are just,
True to your standard, be doing and daring,
As faithful Josephians in Heaven you trust

(Chorus)


Start practicing in preparation for our next reunion dinner ... :-)

Most Vivid Recollections of St Joe Days

Some of you have already started sharing some of your experiences at St Joe. But let's use this post to share what are your most vivid recollections of your days at St Joe. It can be any year. It can be about any teacher or staff or fellow student or non-student. It can be a momentous occasion or a quiet yet memorable moment. It can be about happy, funny, scary, inspiring, sad, ... times.

What are you waiting for? Start commenting ...

The Way We Were ... (#1 by George Lo)

Remember "The Way We Were"? It was a movie and theme song (by Barbara Streisand if I'm not mistaken) popular in the mid-1970s. Anyway, I thought it appropriate as the title of a new series of postings which our fellow Fifth Formers of 1976 WILL be contributing in the weeks or months ahead (right guys?) to share their special memories of the way it was in 1976 and to update us briefly on what has happened in their lives since then. Very special thanks to George Lo of Form 5Sc for this first item in the series ...


"What a year 1976 was. Such sweet memories of halcyon days as a student with hardly a care in the world [except for the Form 5 results of course].

In 1977, I left for Taylor's College in KL with Pok Vun and Min Boon. We rented rooms in a little single storey terraced house in Jalan Chenderai Dua in Lucky Garden, Bangsar, a stone’s throw from the shophouses where we had our daily lunches of ‘chap fun’. Taylor’s was on the other side of Pantai Hill and we used to hitchhike to college.

For many of us, 1977 was a year when we learnt the meaning of independence, living away from home for the first time. It was an exhilarating time.

In 1978, Pok Vun, the late Andrew Kang and I left for Melbourne. Pok Vun (now Bob Chew) and I squatted with Andrew and his sister Jane at her flat in Ormond, a suburb of Melbourne, for a short time before we rented a flat ourselves. Bob and I were flatmates for some 6 months before we went our separate ways.

I studied at Monash University for 5 years, doing a combined Economics/Law degree. Then I spent a 6th year at Leo Cussen’s Institute (articled clerkship). I was admitted to the bar of the Victorian Supreme Court in 1983 but returned home in December that year. I have been practising law in Kuching since then. I am married to Regina Ng (former Marian) and am blessed with 2 children, Nigel aged 16 and Sharlene aged 8. "


Wonderful job, George. All the piece needs now are some accompanying photographs - which I'm sure you'll be providing soon, right? :-)

Linking to YOUR Websites or Blogs

If you have a website, blog or other online content that you wish to share with this community, please send them to me or simply put into the "Comments" section & I will update the "Interesting Links" section of this "Form5in1976" site.

UPDATED - Old Photographs from the 70's

Here's an old photo of St Joe sometime in the 1970's (shamelessly "borrowed" from other ex-Josephians' website :-).




If any of you have other photos of life at St Joe in or around 1976, please scan them and send me a digital copy. I'll put them up on this site for all to enjoy.


Thanks guys ...

The Great Year That Was 1976 ...

Cast your mind back thirty-three years. It was the great year of 1976. We were all 17 years old. We were in Form 5 at St Joe - possibly the greatest set of classes in the greatest school in existence ... obviously! :-)

But in the same year, what else was happening around us? In St Joe? In Kuching? In Sarawak? In the World? I thought it would be fun to recall some things that were somewhat prominent. I'm sure you remember other important events or personalities or products of that year. Do add on your memories in the "Comments" section ...

In 1976 ...

* Bro Columba was the Principal of St Joseph's Secondary School. Sister Sylvia was Principal of St Teresa's School, that other educational institution that many of our form-mates seem to keep a close eye on ...

* Dato' Patinggi Abdul Rahman Yakub was the Chief Minister of Sarawak. The Yang DiPertuan Negeri (or Governor) of Sarawak was Tun Tuanku Haji Bujang.

* St Michael's Canteen was still at its old spot on Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg, next to the Catholic Centre. Oooh, the ang tau peng & the special & the peppermint drink !

* Men's fashion in 1976 included jeans, bell bottoms, platform shoes (with soles of 2 - 4"), more colourful shirts and broad ties. Long hair for guys was in vogue - and many were playing cat-and-mouse games with Bro Columba & his scissors. The ladies had (sadly) increasingly moved from mini-skirts to skirts below the knee line, with the dancer's leotard beginning to be popular for the more fashion conscious.

* Pop and rock music was an important part of life ...

The most popular pop musicians included singers like David Bowie, Elton John, Lobo .... and bands like Abba, Bay City Rollers, Slade ...

The UK "Top of the Pops" charts in 1976 included the following No 1 hits:

- "Mamma Mia", "Fernando" & "Dancing Queen" (Abba) - nothing has changed here. Abba seems to be still as popular thanks to their stage and movie versions of "Mamma Mia"!!!
- "Save Your Kisses for Me" (Brotherhood of Man)
- "Mississippi" (Pussycat)
- "If You Leave Me Now" (Chicago)
- "Under the Moon of Love" (Showaddywaddy)
- "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (Elton John & Kiki Dee)

The Eagles released one of the best-selling albums of all time, "Hotel California" also in 1976.

And of course, we mustn't forget Asian artistes like Anita Sarawak, Frances Yip, Teresa Huang, Teresa Carpio, Teresa Teng and bands like the Strollers.

Remember those music request programmes on Radio Sarawak, popular among some? And (cringe!) remember those fancy middle names used on air ? "... and now Michael Romeo Tan would like to dedicate this song with all his love to Christina Candice Chin ..."

* On the literature front, Peter Benchley published "The Deep" (building on his previous best-seller "Jaws" which became a top-grossing film in 1976 - just when you thought it was safe to get back in the water), Alex Haley came out with "Roots" (which also became a popular TV series) and Richard Dawkins gave us "The Selfish Gene", which became a classic of science writing.

* On the movie front, "The Omen", "Jaws", "The Pink Panther Returns" and "Rocky" all did well at the cinemas.

* In April 1976 halfway across the world in California, two scruffy friends named Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak registered a little company which they gave the unlikely name of Apple Computer.

* The first commercial service of the supersonic Concorde took off, flying from New York to Europe.

* The USA celebrated its bicentennial on 4th July 1976. A peanut farmer from Georgia named Jimmy Carter was elected the country's 39th President in November 1976.

* North and South Vietnam, divided since 1954, reunited to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

* Finally, a little known fact - in 1976, a certain George W. Bush is arrested and fined for driving under the influence of alcohol. Maybe they should have given him life - then the world might not be in the mess it is now !

Indeed 1976 was a great year. Now it's your turn to add comments on your memories for the year. Over to you, Form 5 classes of 1976 ...

Our Teachers of 1976

Here are the teachers who moulded our academic, sports & extra-curricular lives in those formative Form 4 & 5 years.

We'd like to invite YOU (yes, YOU who is reading this right now!) to add some comments on what you remembered about some of them ...

Bro Adrian - English

Bro Mark - Scripture, English

Mrs Lau - English

Mr Nicholas Jee - Literature

Mr William Chan - Mathematics

Mr Clarence - Additional Mathematics

Mrs Bugo - General Science

Mr Joseph - Physics

Mr Sebastian - Chemistry

Mr Matthai - Biology

Mrs A. Tan - Geography

Mrs Minos - History

Mr Augustine Ong - Commerce

Mr Matthias Lee - Scripture

Mr Simon Lo - Woodwork

Mr Lee Hock Kia - Arts & Crafts

Cikgu Bujang Mol - Bahasa Malaysia


I will be looking for photographs to accompany these names. If you have some, do send them to me at jslyong@hotmail.com .

VISITORS' BOOK

This is the Visitors Book for the website. We welcome all visitors to this site to write down some remarks or thoughts in the "Comments" part of this entry.

Class Photos from "Ad Astra" 1976

I'm sure you'll agree that here are the three most important pages from the St Joseph's Secondary School magazine "Ad Astra" in the year 1976 :-)

Scanned images courtesy of Lawrence Chin.

Bro Columba in Singapore

On 2 Jan 2008, ex-Josephians living in Singapore hosted our well-loved, former principal, Bro Columba, to dinner at Royal China restaurant at the Raffles Hotel Arcade. Bro Columba was on his way back to Kuching for a two week visit.

It was a most memorable evening, with almost 30 ex-Josephians (some with spouses) participating. The range of years that the attendees represented was very wide. Some were in Form 5 in the early 60's, others left in the 90's. I was kinda in the middle - the only attendee from the Form 5 Class of 1976.

Bro Columba spent some time with attendees at each of the three tables. There was obviously a lot of reminiscing, networking and photo-taking. The evening ended with the group singing the School Rally.

(photo courtesy of Dr Lee See Chung)

I understand there will be another reunion dinner in Kuching on 17 Jan. I've no doubt it will be an equally memorable occasion.

A 2006 Reunion in Kuching

In December 2006, members of the three classes of Form 5 (1976) organized a 30 year get-together at the Meisan restaurant, Holiday Inn Kuching.

By courtesy of our friend Lawrence Chin, here are some photos from the occasion. See how many people you can recognise !

James & James - Meet-up after 15 Years

Two James' from Form 5Sc, namely James Kuo and James Yong, met up in London in December 2008. After St Joseph's, both James' did their A-levels at Sevenoaks School in Kent, UK, before proceeding to university. The previous time they met was some 15 years ago. James Kuo is now a heart surgeon with Plymouth Hospitals, Devon, UK. James Yong is a regional director & writer, with Cisco Systems and based in Singapore.

Who were in Form 5 Science ?

These were the members of the Form 5 Science class in 1976.

Please help update YOUR latest status (ie. what you're currently doing, where you're based, contact details, etc.) emailing your friendly neighbourhood Website Jaga jslyong@hotmail.com. And also check this entry regularly as it will be updated from time to time.


GRAND REUNION
Colour of name: Green=registered; Red=not attending; Blue=yet to be registered


Wilson Chao (wchao151@gmail.com) is a businessman in Kuching. His company is called kijosuwi and deals in communication & security systems.

Cheng Liang Fang (Liang_Fang_Chen@lta.gov.sg) is an engineer based in Singapore. He is a senior executive in the Land Transport Authority (LTA), and specialises in building underground train networks. An avid photographer and fisherman too.

x

Bob Chew Pok Vun (lkcbob@tm.net.my) is based in Kuching. He is involved in many causes, one of which is the building of houses of worship in rural areas of Sarawak. He is also assistant to the Honorary Consul at the Australian Consulate , Kuching.
x
xxxx
x
Chieh Lipp Kee (LKC@dslinc.com) is a senior executive in an F&B equipment company. He is based in Vancouver, Canada. He likes golf, Penfold Reds and Korean culture.
xx



Chiew Chin Kee

Kevin Chin (takkuasa@iinet.net.au) has been located in Perth, Australia. He is a professional accountant and works as an investigator with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission.
x\
x
Philip Chin (pipchin23@hotmail.com) is a businessman, based in KL.
x



x
x
Lawrence Chin (chin59@gmail.com) is a senior executive with the FSBM Group, one of Malaysia's leading IT service and systems provider. He is based in KL.
x

x
Dr Chong Chi Nai (cnchong8888@hotmail.com) is a Senior Procurement Specialist with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), based in Manila, Philippines.




Harry Goh Eng Kiat (harryekgoh@gmail.com) is a senior executive with GE, specialising in healthcare systems, and based in KL.

Philip Hii (phykhii@gmail.com) lives on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland.

Ho Boon Chiang (hoboonchiang@yahoo.com) is a businessman, based in either KL, Malaysia or Cambridge, UK.

Alan Jerah is in Kuching.


Andrew Kang (deceased)

Kho Guan Huat

Jimmy Kho Khoon Haw (jkhokh@yahoo.com) is based in Shanghai, China running various food & beverage businesses.




Kho Kian Hock is a director at AHE Ceilings Sdn Bhd, a firm that specialises in plaster ceilings and other construction materials. He is based in Kuching.

Kuan Chee Kok (ChKuan11@yahoo.com) is a sales director with Hewlett-Packard in KL. He likes scuba diving.

Christopher Kuek is somewhere in Australia (I'm told).xxxxx


James Kuo Hang Ung (jameskuo@btinternet.com) is a consultant heart surgeon. He lives in Plymouth, UK.




Lau Suan Chye
x
Law Kok Beng is somewhere in Australia (so I'm told).

Francis Lee  (FrancisLee@sarawakenergy.com.my) works at SESCO/SEB in Kuching.

Richard Lee is a dentist, and lives in Western Australia.

Leong Kuek Fook is a businessman based in KL. His business deals with chemical products.
x
x


Liew Kueh Man (deceased)

Liew Jiew Neang (liewnco@streamyx.com) is an accountant based in Kuching. Contact: +602082485858.

Lim Ngee Hong, Richard is an engineer and has been with Hewlett-Packard Singapore for more than two decades.




George Lo Kuin Fah (george@glplex.com) is a lawyer, with his own law firm in Kuching.

Cyril Moa is based in KL.


Nicholas Ng Wui Khiang is now Father Nicholas, a Catholic priest at St Joseph's Parish in Kuching.

Peter Ngiam Tie Fen (pngiam@tm.net.my) is in Kuching.

James Ngui Min Boon

Ong Poi Jin is in construction & development, and based in Kuching.

Julai Sharif is in Miri, Sarawak.

Christopher Sim Kay Guan (kayguan@hotmail.com) is with Shell at Port Dickson.

Dr Sim Peng Siew is in Shanghai (so I'm told).

Francis Tan

Edmond Tan Choe Jueh (edmondtan@live.com) is a vet, with a pet clinic in Singapore.

Eric Tan Kung Miang (eric.km.tan@hotmail.co.uk) is an accountant, living in Nottingham, UK.

Philip Tang is in Australia.

Tham Peng Yeow

Thong Ee Yew, Raymond (reythong@yahoo.com)

Ting Thong Kong, Herbert lives in Calgary, Canada.

Paul Tong is working in the banking industry in Singapore.

Wong Kah Kung, Alfred is in Kuching.

Michael Yeo is in Ottawa, Canada.

James Yong Shoon Loi (jslyong@hotmail.com) is a public sector consultant & writer. He is a director at Cisco Systems during the day, tries to write during weekends, and moonlights as a Website Jaga.
x
x
x

Roney Zaidell (roney_zaidell@petronas.com.my) is a senior executive in Petronas, based in KL.
.